If I Hold My Breath
by ZGory
Summary: It's Joaquin's birthday, but he's not really expecting anything special. That is until a fellow Serpent gives him quite the surprise.


**A/N** : This was written during the hiatus before the reveal in episode 1x08

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Having endured what may have been one of the most tiresome days of his life on what was supposed to be his special day, Joaquin thought no one could fault him for the obscenely long groan that came out of his mouth upon flopping down face first into his threadbare couch. A groan which only got louder at the sound of insistent knocking at his door. He continued to lie there in the hopes that whoever was on the other side would get the hint and leave, but luck continued to abandon him as the knocking became more persistent.

"I know you're in there!" demanded a hoarse voice from the other side of the door.

Joaquin grumbled under his breath as he blindly reached out for his phone on the nearby table to check the time. After not coming across the familiar object, he finally cracked open his eyes to give his cluttered surroundings a cursory glance while also absentmindedly patting his own pockets. When he still couldn't find it - whereas the knocking had gotten more obnoxious-, he decided he'd look for it afterwards.

"I'm coming!" he barked in the hopes that it would get whoever was bothering him to stop. It did though the sudden silence was then interrupted by a muffled reply followed by laughter from whatever joke the unwanted visitor had told themselves.

Shrugging on the leather jacket draped over the arm of the couch, he strode across the trailer to the window in order to check outside. He grumbled on seeing that it was another Serpent, Nahum. Not that he had anything in particular against the guy. Nahum was an okay dude, but most of the time it seemed like he operated in his own world.

Opening the door, he tried to put on his best disaffected air so as to mask the actual exhaustion he felt. Thankfully, it seemed to be enough since Nahum just looked up at him with a weird sideways smile on his pockmarked face.

Without warning, Nahum casually tossed something up at him, and Joaquin caught it one-handed out of instinct. Confusion replaced the exhaustion when he realized he'd caught his own missing phone, but looking at the Nahum provided no immediate answers as he just continued to smile as if he'd won the lottery. The other Serpent gestured at a car that had been backed up to Joaquin's trailer, and Joaquin realized that he must have been really out of it to not notice the red glow of the taillights bathing the immediate area.

"Why'd you have my phone?" he asked as he hopped down from the trailer entrance to join Nahum on the patchy grass. He briefly checked it for the time and was surprised to find that it wasn't even 10.

Nahum just socked him in the arm which made Joaquin stumble sideways since the dude never seemed to realize his own strength and also never pulled his damn punches. "I noticed you being a mopey little shit, so I thought I'd get you something special on your big day." He wagged a finger in Joaquin's face. "Don't ever say I don't do nothing for you." He then heartily slapped Joaquin on the shoulder in what he probably thought was lighthearted but actually almost dislocated his arm.

Trying to rub back feeling in that area while passing it off as no big deal, Joaquin tried to stomp down on the anxious feeling growing in his gut at Nahum's answer. Especially when he took into consideration some of his past questionable decisions. "You didn't stink bomb the Wyrm again, did you? Cause FP's gonna have both our asses, birthday boy or not."

"Tch, that shit's amateur hour, and I don't repeat myself."

"Did you steal another police dog to try and find your secret stash again?"

"I'm gonna find that shit again, and what did I just say about repeats? Anyways, none of that has to do with you." At this point Nahum started to fish around for his keys, and Joaquin just hoped there was at least a roach or two in the trunk because he could use something to take the edge off right about now.

Even when he remembered the keys were still in the ignition, Nahum decided to make a production of it by trying to imitate a drum roll as he started to unlock the trunk. Considering that Joaquin didn't want to play into it, the show was rather one-sided, but Joaquin had to give it to him for committing. Finally popping it open, Nahum gestured at its contents with a cheesy flourish. "Happy Birthday, man!"

Intending to just take a glance, Joaquin's eyes instead became glued on what was inside. He had expected maybe a big ass bag of weed or maybe even a stolen kickstand for his drum set. The last thing he expected, though, was to see a bound and gagged Kevin Keller, staring back at him with wide sliver of moon overhead reflected off the silver tape wrapped around his face and emphasized how pale skin his skin was as it heavily contrasted with the darkness of the trunk. His normally pristine appearance was done away with as his hair was a tousled mess, his cheeks were flushed red, and his normally tucked in shirt was hiked up so that Joaquin could actually watch the rise and fall of his body as he took short and shallow breaths.

Time seemed to freeze as Nahum waited for a response while Kevin looked at him warily. Joaquin's brain certainly screeched to a halt as he tried to process what was happening and whether or not he had actually just fallen asleep on his couch, and this was all just some strange dream. Just how much had Nahum read on his phone anyways? The spell finally broke when Kevin made questioning noises from behind his tape gag. Joaquin turned his attention back to Nahum.

"What the fuck did you do?" he asked with a slight rasp in his throat having found his voice again.

"Your present!" Nahum looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "It's a thing I heard about. You know, you kidnap someone and scare the shit outta them."

Joaquin squeezed the edge of the trunk while staring at the other Serpent. "You're supposed to take me to go eat fucking pancakes or something! Not kidnap Keller's kid!"

Nahum's thick eyebrows scrunched together as he turned over this revelation in his head. "That sounds fucking stupid."

Kevin's muffled response brought both set of eyes back to him.

"So what? You don't like it? I guess I can take him back…" Nahum reached for the lid of the trunk as if he would do just that, but then two things happened at once. Kevin frantically shook his head back and forth while making pleading noises, and Joaquin reached into the trunk with one arm while gesturing at Nahum to chill out with the other.

"NO!" yelled Joaquin with more bite than he had intended. At Nahum's raised brow, he tried to wave off his outburst by running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath. "I mean, it's fine, dude." He slipped his arm behind Kevin's back and helped him sit up in the trunk while trying to be mindful of his head. Kevin's bound legs pushed against the trunk so as to stretch as much as he could given how tall he was. "You just caught me by surprise, but I think I got it from here."

"Oh." Nahum awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he watched the pair of them. "You sure? I don't mind helping you load your 'present' so you can start playing grab ass or whatever." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively which just looked ridiculous. But when he moved forward to help, and Kevin flinched in Joaquin's hold, the younger Serpent simply stopped Nahum in his tracks with a look. It wasn't 'the' look, but it was an effective one nonetheless.

"We're good here. Thanks, man." He tilted his head at the parked car. "You can come back for your car later." It occurred to him in that moment that he had positioned himself as a sort of shield between Nahum and Kevin. He forced himself to take another nice, slow breath so as to maintain his cool and not lose it again.

There was a tense moment where Nahum just stared at the pair of them, and Joaquin entertained the idea of things going sideways. Every self preservation instinct in him screamed at him to be prepared, so Joaquin dropped his arm from Kevin's back to his waist in order to press him closer and slid his free hand into his jacket pocket just in case. Kevin also picked up on possibility of violence as his breathing noticeably slowed.

But then Nahum just shrugged with all the self awareness of a shovel before punching Joaquin in the shoulder one last time. He was inwardly proud that this time he managed not to tumble backwards. "Whatever you say, little snake." Then he simply walked off while whistling an indecipherable tune.

Joaquin still tersely waited until he rounded the corner, and the second he was out of sight, Joaquin hooked an arm under Kevin's legs to get him out of the trunk. Balancing him so that he was seated on the edge, he cupped Kevin's face with one hand and grasped at the corner of the tape with the other. Maintaining eye contact, he gave Kevin a warning countdown before peeling it off as best as he could. "I'm so sorry about all this. Are you okay?"

"Define okay," replied Kevin dryly as he worked his jaw.

Joaquin gently turned his face from side to side to check for any injuries. Relief washed over him when he found no visible marks, and Kevin's pinched expression gave way to a small smile at this obvious show of concern.

Before he could really examine the emotions blooming inside of him at these whirlwind developments, he gripped the back of Kevin's head and mashed their mouths together in a desperate kiss. Kevin made a surprised noise in the back of his throat but ended up melting into it as Joaquin licked his way inside the other boy's mouth.

It was when Joaquin tried to take it to the next level by wrapping his arm around Kevin's waist and straddling him between his legs that the other boy managed to breathlessly squirm away with a lopsided smile on his face.

"I'm happy to see you too but could you uh, untie me first?" He wriggled his bound limbs for emphasis which just resulted in his thighs rubbing against Joaquin's crotch which made him bite down a groan. "Unless this is like a kink of yours or something," he added nervously with a little laugh. Somehow that laugh went straight to Joaquin's groin, and he once again pulled Kevin into another sloppy kiss all the while enjoying Kevin's little surprised noises.

His hand slipped back inside his jacket pocket for the knife he'd been fingering earlier. He drew it out and flicked it open like it was the most natural thing in the world, but Kevin broke away once again with a wide eyed look at the small blade.

"Relax," he breathed into Kevin's ear as he moved to saw away at the tape wrapped around his knees. And miraculously enough, he does. Taking his eyes off the other boy, Joaquin continued to feel his heated gaze as he made quick work of cutting him free. To have all this trust given the present situation satisfied some previously unacknowledged part of himself. It was a bit of a rush, but he also felt guilty about it.

Once Kevin was free though, an unwanted awkwardness settled between the two of them. Kevin hopped off the edge of the trunk and checked his reflection only to grimace at his appearance. He tried flattening down his ruffled hair and smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles in his shirt while letting out a long suffering sigh. Joaquin didn't mind so much since it gave him some time to appreciate the view as he eyed the other boy's profile. When Kevin finally gave up, he took his time looking around to absorb his surroundings, and Joaquin made a mental note to never let him play poker because his face was like an open book.

Kevin nodded at the trailer behind Joaquin. "Sooo, this is your place, huh? It's…nice."

Joaquin humorlessly laughed with a tinge more bitterness than intended. The differences between them were more pronounced than ever even with the other teen's disheveled appearance. Clean cut Kevin Keller standing amidst of one of the more rundown areas of the trailer park. Specifically in front of the one Joaquin called home with its obvious rust spots, missing steps, and taped up screen. "You don't have to sugar coat it, Kev. I know it's a shit hole."

"But it's your shit hole. So that scores it a few more points," Kevin stated with a cheeky grin while reaching for his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. He didn't tug Joaquin forward for any expectations for more. He just wanted to hold his hand.

Joaquin continued to assess him while brushing his thumb across the other teen's knuckles. "You're taking this awfully well for someone who got tossed in a trunk." Though he remembered now how Kevin had apparently come across Jason Blossom's body and brushed off that topic of conversation as if it were nothing. "How'd that happen anyways?"

At this question, Kevin flushed red again in a way that couldn't be blamed on the tail lights, and Joaquin noted how the color traveled down his neck as well. It was like a homing signal as he found himself moving in closer towards the other boy.

"I got a text from what I thought was you, and before I know it, I'm in an episode of Sons of Anarchy."

Joaquin pictured it in his mind's eye. Kevin eagerly checking his phone under some flickering lamp post rather than paying attention to his surroundings. Totally unaware of the lurking danger. Nahum overwhelming him and taking him by surprise. The useless struggle. A dark ride spent in fear and suspense.

Kevin's sharp voice snapped him out of his little fantasy. "Oh my god. Does that turn you on!? The thought of me helpless and in need of you to storm in, motorcycle roaring?"

Now it was Joaquin's turn to be embarrassed. "W-what!? Why would you think- No!" He avoided eye contact so as to not give the game up.

"Me thinks the serpent doth protest too much."

"Shut it," he tried fixing his most intimidating glare on Kevin, the look that had made more hardened men back the fuck off with stuttered apologies. But instead, the smile on Kevin's face stretched out even more as the other boy just looked at him knowingly. When the hell had he let him so under his skin?

"While I'd love to really dissect this new discovery in a more controlled environment, could I get a ride back?"

"Getting tired of me already?"

"What? No!" Kevin adamantly shook his head as if he'd been accused of a serious crime. "Never!" It was cute how indignant Kevin got at the mere suggestion. He looked down at their still joined hands and gave it a squeeze. "I just might have…had something planned for you today. And I thought we could salvage it…if you want that is."

The uncertainty in his voice pushed Joaquin to tilt Kevin's chin back up so they were eye to eye again (or really so that Joaquin was looking up at Kevin's eyes since the other by was taller but always seemed to underplay it). "You remembered my birthday?" he asked incredulously since birthdays had been part of the small talk they'd exchanged to pass the time on their second date.

"I mean, it's not like I have a post-it of it attached to my mirror or something."

Which just made Joaquin grin as he'd seen the inside of Kevin's room. He'd seen firsthand all the meticulously labeled calendars and different colored post-its and memos to coordinate the ridiculous amount of activities he did. Joaquin got lost trying to take it all in, but Kevin insisted that he had a system. Joaquin would never admit it out loud, but it tickled something inside of him to imagine a note in Kevin's neat handwriting earmarking his birthday. And besides Nahum's misguided attempt, no one else had really given a shit though there'd been promises of treating him to a cold one at the Wyrm later. "That actually sounds like a great idea."

The way Kevin's face lit up was almost present enough, and the thought of forgiving Nahum briefly crossed his mind. Maybe he'd give the guy a 6-pack instead of a beating after all. Not that he'd have fared well in trying to administer one, but it was the effort that counted.

He tilted his head towards the side of his trailer, and Kevin willingly let himself be pulled behind as they walked over to his bike.

"So what did you have in mind?" he asked as he tossed a helmet at Kevin.

"I can't tell you that. It would ruin the surprise." And it was a sign of how much time they had stolen together that Joaquin knew he was mostly being serious.

Joaquin shot him a smirk and stole one more sordid kiss before tossing Kevin a helmet and setting into position on the bike. He relished how natural it felt to have Kevin slips his arms around him and squeeze before melding into his back. "Can't wait to find out then."


End file.
